Licensing

Open Value

Microsoft® Open Value is for small to midsize organizations with five or more desktop PC’s that want a flexible and affordable way to use and manage Microsoft licensed products under a single agreement. The Microsoft Open Value Program offers simplified license management and better control of your licensed product costs and investment. Open Value provides flexibility to acquire licenses or add product licenses as needed. Additional cost savings are available when standardizing desktop PC licensed product Organization-Wide. Open Value also offers the advantages of Microsoft® Software Assurance for Volume Licensing, a comprehensive offering from Microsoft that helps you get the most out of your software investment with 24×7 support, deployment planning services, end-user and technical training, and the latest software releases and unique technologies, all in one cost-effective program.

Open Value offers many benefits, including:

Simplified License Management
  • You get a single agreement for all Microsoft licensed products within a territory, including qualified affiliates in other countries.
  • You can upgrade at any time — no need to track versions or open new agreements.
  • You can transition new original equipment manufacturer (OEM) licenses onto your agreement by purchasing Software Assurance.
Ability to Take Control of Your Investment
  • With the Software Assurance New Product Version benefit, you receive rights to new versions of licensed products to deploy at your convenience.
  • Plus, Software Assurance offers benefits such as Planning Services, IT Training and 24×7 Problem Resolution Support so that you can take advantage of consulting services, training and support to help you deploy your new software.
  • You can upgrade licensed products Organization-Wide while staying within budget.
More Licensing Flexibility
  • Open Value gives you a single platform option, which allows you to choose components from the Windows® Desktop Operating System Upgrade, Microsoft® Office, and Client Access Licenses (CAL) under a single platform for every desktop PC in your organization. The custom platform option allows customers with the Organization-Wide option to continue Software Assurance coverage on multiple product versions rather than only on the latest version.
  • If your organization requires Microsoft’s enterprise solutions, Microsoft Office Professional Plus, Windows Small Business Server Client Access License (CAL) Suite are available.
Better Management of Your Software Costs
  • Spread payments with the Software Assurance Spread Payments benefit which reduces up-front costs and helps you forecast annual budget requirements with predictable annual payments.
  • You have rights to new software version releases with Software Assurance New Product Versions benefit to help you lower the costs of acquiring software licenses while simplifying procurement and forecasting Organization-Wide licensing provides additional savings.

Open Value Options

You can choose from several Open Value options that are available to meet the needs of a wide range of customers. The Open Value Subscription option is for organizations that prefer to subscribe to software licenses. For customers who prefer to purchase software licenses, Open Value is available in both Organization-Wide and Non–Organization-Wide options. The Organization-Wide option offers simplified license management and additional discounts.

Open Value Organization-Wide Option

Open Value Organization-Wide option offers predictable annual payments, low long-term costs, and a simple way to manage licenses. You get additional savings opportunities and a single price per desktop PC (minimum five licenses) to organizations that want to standardize all their desktop PCs on one or more Microsoft enterprise products. This option also provides an agreement that helps you better predict your costs during the three year term. You agree to acquire licenses and Software Assurance for the licensed product you select for all your organization and its affiliates’ qualified desktop PCs. An annual desktop PC price based on your count of qualified desktop PCs allows you to run any licensed product version on any PC.

Organization-Wide is also attractive if you want to standardize software throughout your organization. Standardization helps to increase security, reduce support costs, and enable Organization-Wide solutions that require a common technology platform. If you do not need enterprise products or licenses for all your qualified desktop PCs, you should acquire your licenses through Open Value Non-Organization-Wide option.

Open Value Subscription Option

Customers may subscribe to, rather than acquire, Microsoft product licenses. The Subscription option gives your organization the rights to run the software Organization-Wide only during the term of the agreement. Microsoft Open Value Subscription provides the lowest up-front costs of the Open program options with the flexibility to reduce your total licensing costs in years when your desktop PC count declines. With the subscription option, you can choose to pay a single price per desktop PC (minimum of five desktop PCs) to deploy Microsoft technology as the standard across your organization. Typical subscription customers are looking to build or maintain an IT infrastructure on a standard platform of products to respond rapidly to a changing business environment. With Open Value Subscription, you pay a single price per desktop PC to deploy Microsoft technology across your organization during the term agreement’s term.

Government Option:

To better align with government organization procurement requirements, a one-year Open Value Subscription option is available with Open Value Subscription for Government*. This gives government organizations the flexibility to choose from a one-year or three-year term.

* Open Value for Government is not available in all regions. Please contact us to check the availability in your country.

Platform Option for Open Value Organization-Wide and Subscription With both Open Value Subscription and Open Value Organization-Wide options, you can choose to standardize desktop PC licensed product across your organization on all three components on the platform and receive additional savings. If your organization requires Microsoft’s enterprise solutions, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010, Enterprise CAL, and the Microsoft® Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) are available.

Open Value Non–Organization-Wide (Without the Organization-Wide or Subscription Options)

If you need licenses for servers, or for just some of your desktop PCs, you can open a Non–Organization-Wide Agreement. You can take advantage of spreading annual payments for the licenses and upgrade rights and other benefits that come with Software Assurance. Customers who do not want to standardize their desktop PCs can obtain all licenses through Open Value Non Organization-Wide and manage all those Microsoft licenses through a single agreement.

More detailed information about Open Value options and other Volume Licensing programs is offered on the Microsoft Volume Licensing website at http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/

* Please note that this information is based on information provided on the Microsoft website.